Curse the Elven Tongue
by Oromis and Glaedr
Summary: ONESHOT-Arya recalls the final battle with Galbatorix just hours after the Varden's victory while Eragon lies on his deathbed along with his brother Murtagh. Arya realized her true feelings for Eragon long ago, so why cant she tell him?


**A/N** This is basically a slap in the face to Arya. I think Eragon and Arya will end up together but there really arent enough stories where bad things happen to them. I really only writting so i can be a beta-reader, so don't expect this to be amazing.

Disclaimer- Anything you recognize belongs to CP

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Arya squeezed her eyelids closed, in an attempt to keep the tears that hung behind them from rolling down her cheeks. She could not remember the last time she allowed herself to cry, it was a sign of weakness and she refused to give any person a reason to think less of her. Many people already had low opinions of her, be they man, dwarf, or elf, and she had no desire to prove them right.

However, this was much different than the many times before where she had felt the urge to cry. In those instances she had been able to tuck her pain and sorrow away, deep within her mind. She had stopped the tears from even forming behind her eyes in the first place. Now they clung to her eyelashes, quivering slightly as she shivered and trembles racked her thin frame. Looking down at the cause of this intense emotional pain, she lost control, and the tears flowed freely down the sides of her face leaving stiff, burning trails behind them.

Eragon lay below her on a small cot, pale and barely conscious. Next to him lay his brother, Murtagh, in an eerily similar condition although he seemed much worse for wear. Beside him sat Nasuada, holding his hand in hers, gently stroking the side of his face and mumbling words inaudible even to her elfin ears. Her gaze drifted back to Eragon, examining his body thoroughly. He had a cut across the top of his forehead that was slowly oozing blood down over his eyes, and blood was flowing freely from a large wound on his head. At the sight of his bloodied hair she was dragged back into the most painful memory of her life.

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Arya brought her blade down in an arc, cleaving the skull of an unfortunate member of the Empire's army. A cheer sounded from the men of the Varden as a giant shadow passed over her.

Glancing up she saw Eragon flying astride Saphira, towards Murtagh and Thorn. She smiled as Saphira let out ferocious roar, and crashed into the other dragon.

An arrow whizzing by her head brought her back to the battle at hand. She had to help Roran and his soldiers take the western flank of the Empire. Hacking and slashing wildly, any man wearing the black and red of the Empire fell before her vicious onslaught. After ten minutes of fighting they had secured their objective and the men around her let out a triumphant howl as the last of the enemy soldiers fled back towards the gates.

Arya searched the skies for the two dragons but was unable to locate either of them. Contacting Saphira with her mind she asked,_ "Saphira where are you?"_

"_Eragon and I have retreated to the rear of the Varden to speak with Nasuada."_

"_What of Thorn and Murtagh?"_

She could feel the pain and misery radiating from Saphira through their mental link as she replied._ "Thorn is dying… not far from you. Go to him Arya, Eragon and I will be there soon."_

Severing their connection, Arya made her way towards the ominous red lump in the distance. As she approached she was overwhelmed by the metallic taste of blood that filled her mouth. Thorn lay in a pool of his blood as it seeped from the horrific wounds that covered his hide, taking short rasping breaths, with Murtagh at his side screaming in pain. She stumbled upon a conversation between the two of them as she neared; they were too weak to keep their discussion private and were merely projecting their thoughts.

"_Murtagh,"_ Thorn said,_ "you need to hold on. Be strong, for me."_

"_I can't Thorn,"_ He exclaimed as tears rolled steadily down his face. _"How could I possibly survive without you?"_

Sighing, Thorn replied in a heart-breaking tone,_ "Murtagh, you need to do this. Make sure that Galbatorix falls. Do not let me die in vain Murtagh; see that we have our vengeance on that man before we are both gone from this land."_

"_No,"_ He whispered, shaking uncontrollably, _"I won't let you die Thorn. Not alone."_

"_You must Murtagh, think of Eragon or Nasuada. You have much to live for my friend."_

By now Thorn was shuddering, and Arya could feel the heat rapidly leaving his body. At that moment Saphira landed hard on the ground next to them and made her way over to Thorn, nudging him anxiously with the tip of her snout. Eragon dismounted and pulled Murtagh into tight embrace.

As she watched Murtagh let loose a heart-wrenching shriek as the light in Thorn's eyes faded forever. He collapsed into Eragon's arms and as she approached them, she thought that he must be dead. There were tears leaking from Eragon's closed eyes as he held Murtagh's limp body.

Eragon turned to face her and held out Murtagh, gesturing for her to take him. She hesitated and cast a remorseful glance down at the body.

"He's not dead, just unconscious. Arya, please take him to the Medical Tents where he will be safe." His words sounded hollow and each one seemed to pain him as it was uttered.

She gave him a look of understanding and reassurance, and took the limp form from his hands. Eragon brushed his tears away and Arya was amazed at the look in them now. They were filled with hate, anger and a burning desire for revenge. His face was hardened and Arya pitied whoever would fight the man before her. Not seconds ago he had been crying, like a little boy who was lost in the woods and in mere seconds he had taken an image of someone who was all but invincible.

"Be safe Eragon; and you as well Saphira." Eragon nodded curtly and leapt onto Saphira's saddle. She took off with a mighty roar and Arya headed back to the Varden's encampment.

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Exiting the Medical Tent Arya sprinted back towards the battle, which the Varden was winning. As she arrived at the battlefield she found Roran surrounded by ten men and fighting for his life. Letting loose a hearty battle cry, she rushed to Roran's defense, hacking away at the men who would dare attack Eragon's kin.

As this though passed through her head she winced,_ Eragon still does not know my true feelings for him,_ she thought miserably. When Eragon had failed to return after fighting Murtagh at the Battle of the Burning Plains, she had realized how strongly she felt for him. As she watched Thorn fly away and Saphira remained absent, she felt a deep pain in her heart. She searched out for Eragon's mind and felt nothing, and all attempts to scry him resulted only in blackness.

Arya realized that she would regret it for the rest of her life if Eragon, or even herself for that matter, died before she could tell him that she loved him. This thought gave her a burst of energy and she slew the remaining soldiers around Roran. He was breathing heavily, but he did not appear to have any major wounds. Together they charged the gates of Urǔ'Bean followed by the remaining soldiers of the Varden.

The booming battle cries coming from the men were turned to gasps of terror as the Empire's siege weapons fired from behind the wall. Huge boulders landed amongst the ranks, along with giant arrows shot from the ballistae. Arya watched in horror as one of those large arrows headed right for Roran. Everything was in slow motion now as she moved towards him, desperately trying to reach him to push him out of the way. She was a second to late. The arrow hit Roran square on his left shoulder, tearing the left-half of his body from shoulder to hip off. He fell to the ground, dead instantly, and Arya cried out in pain._ Eragon's cousin has died on my watch._ She thought to herself, struggling to contain her rage._ Eragon has lost both his brothers in this battle, and I am entirely responsible for Roran's death._ The world had come to a grinding halt; the men of the Varden stared down at the mutilated corpse of their leader. The projectiles of the Empire's war machines continued to pummel the Varden soldiers, and Arya stood to her full height, turning to face them.

"Your captain has fallen, struck down mercilessly by those pitiful excuses for men! She yelled, pointing towards the dark city. "Men of the Varden, raise your swords and ready your shields! Run with me to the gates of this evil city; fight for your fallen hero, for your dead comrades, for your families and for all those who have suffered under the rule of this tyrant! Charge!" Her words rang out across the land and were met with a roar of approval from the soldiers. She turned and ran, listening to the footsteps of the men following her. They banged their swords on their shields and let loose raw-throated yells, a challenge to any man amidst the Empire's ranks. Soon they were too close for the war machines to strike them and Arya blasted the gate down yelling "Jierda!"

They flooded through the gates and fell upon the enemy soldiers with all the force of an avalanche. As the men rushed past her Arya hung back and observed the battle. The Varden had won. Now that they were inside the gates the Empire had no hope of repelling them back, and they no longer had an advantage in numbers. As she allowed a smile to cross her face, a horn sounded in the distance. The rival army let out a cheer and Arya looked up to the keep to see a giant black dragon flying towards the Varden.

Galbatorix had finally emerged, and Shruikan was the most intimidating dragon Arya had ever laid eyes upon. Easily twice the size of Glaedr, he soared over the Varden's ranks engulfing them in flame. As he neared the gate, a sapphire blue shape barreled into his side, and he crashed into the ground landing with a resounding thud. Realizing what was happening Arya ran towards the two dragons, knowing in her mind that Eragon had no hope of defeating Galbatorix alone.

She saw Eragon dismount, as well as the evil king and they circled each other. The dragons followed behind their respective riders, growling and snapping at the one opposite them. Arya was still miles away, but she saw that they had stopped moving._ Trying to sweet talk Eragon on to his side first, I would imagine_, she thought to herself bitterly. Then out of nowhere Galbatorix lunged at him while Saphira and Shruikan took to the skies.

Running as hard as she could, it took her over ten minutes to reach the pair, all the while listening to the roars and snarls of the two fighting dragons. As she approached Eragon appeared to be winning, Galbatorix was taking ragged breaths and he had a worried expression on his face. Just as she thought Eragon would deal the final blow, he fell to the ground screaming in agony. She stared at Galbatorix, bewildered, wondering what had caused Eragon such pain. Galbatorix smashed the hilt of his sword against Eragon's skull then looked to the skies with a furious expression on his face.

Then out of the clouds she saw Saphira plummeting to the ground, blood flowing out behind her. She hit the ground with a bone-jarring thud and Eragon whimpered on the ground. Shruikan landed next to Galbatorix, but all four of them kept their eyes trained on Saphira's unmoving body.

"AAARRGGGHHHHH!"Eragon's piercing battle cry rang through the air, and then she heard Galbatorix gasp in pain. While he had been observing Saphira's dead body, Eragon had driven Brisingr through his chest. She watched Galbatorix fall to the ground, dead followed shortly by Shruikan, who let out a final roar of pain.

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That was how Eragon had come to be in this condition. His dragon was dead, along with his cousin, and his only remaining family lay next to him dying of the same ailment, a broken heart. Oromis had told her once that a rider could survive the death of their dragon if he had reason enough to live. Brom was a perfect example; he had survived his Saphira's death so that he could exact his revenge on those responsible. _There is hope_, she thought, and as these thoughts passed through her head Eragon spoke.

"Murtagh..." he said, "Murtagh, are you awake?" His voice rasped and was laden with pain. Listening to him speak like this, in that tone, was tearing her apart. It was the voice of a man that knows he is dying.

"What is it brother," he managed to gasp weakly.

"Will you fight for me Murtagh?" he asked, in a pleading tone. Arya was immensely confused with his question, and believed he had lost his mind. _You will not be fighting anymore Eragon,_ she thought, still crying freely,_ and neither will your brother._ But then he continued and Arya felt a spark of hope flicker deep within her chest. "Will you fight for me Murtagh, will you cling to life so that we might live as brothers, so that we might both find a reason to carry on living. It was Saphira's last wish of me, that I might find happiness in this world without her." Tears were flowing from his eyes now, talking about his life-partner's last wish was slowly killing what was left of his soul.

Her heart broke as she listened to this conversation. As she listened to the man she loved pour his heart and soul into his brother in a last ditch effort to fulfill the final request of his love, Saphira. And then she realized, _I still haven't told him I love him!_ She was distraught as she listened to Murtagh's reply.

"I will try brother, Thorn also wished this of me, but I fear I have already given in. I have let too much energy seep from my body and I do not believe that I will be able to keep myself here on this land much longer." The two brothers had locked eyes and tears fell gently down their faces. They were not sobbing or crying, the tears were the tears of men who have recognized their last minutes of life. They were tears of grim acceptance.

Nasuada wailed and sobs continued to rack her small body as she clung to Murtagh, begging him to survive. Arya decided that now was when she would tell Eragon of her love for him. If he knew how she felt about him than he would have a reason to live. She opened her mouth and began speaking to him in a quiet voice, shaking with emotion.

"Eragon, I-I lo-" the words were stopped dead in her mouth; no matter how hard she tried she could not express her love to him. He gazed at her expectantly, waiting for her to finish her statement.

She tried again, this time with more confidence. "Eragon I lo-" For the second time the words were halted before she could utter them, and Eragon looked extremely confused. _Why can't I tell him?_ She thought to herself viciously. _I want to tell him! I've never experienced anything like this before except when y-_. She broke of immediately, _No, that's not possible. It can't be true. Fate cannot be so cruel to me!_ And yet she knew it was. She held in her heart the cure for Eragon, her love, but she was unable to give it to him. Her mind flew back to that painful day at the Agaetí Blödhren.

"_Hear me well Eragon. This cannot, nor ever shall be."_

With those words she had sealed her fate along with Eragon's. She let out a cry of pain and Eragon stared up at her with a bewildered expression on his face. She knew he was confused, and it killed her to see him lying on his death bed, capable of bringing life back to his tired body, yet unable to do so because of the Ancient Language.

Murtagh let out a small gasp next to her and his eyes glazed over as he passed into the void. Nasuada screamed her loss to the heavens and Eragon gave her the saddest look she had ever seen. His brown eyes, usually vibrant and full of laughter, were now dull and filled with a defeated and utterly lonely expression. It broke her heart to see Eragon in so much pain. He had nothing left to live for; there was no way for him to keep his promise to Saphira. He could not stay for vengeance; those responsible for his pain were already dead. He could not stay for brotherhood; his blood brother, adopted brother, and his cousin, like a brother to him, had passed into the void. He could not stay for family; everyone related to him had died in the tragic war he fought so hard to end. He could not stay for duty; the war was over and the dragons were no more, only one egg remained and it was doomed to exist alone. And finally, he could not stay for love; the only woman he loved did not love him back.

He began to weep; his whole body began to shudder uncontrollably at the realization that he could not fulfill his promise to Saphira. The last thing she had asked of him, begged of him, before she had passed and he could not do it. She wanted him to live happily, and if he held on merely for her request his life would be miserable, every day filled with painful memories of his lost companions. It would be spitting on Saphira's memory to live like that after he had promised to live happily. Better just to pass on and join her in the void, along with every other person he had ever loved.

Arya could not look into his eyes, it was killing her. Through the war he was the only living being that had bothered to help whoever he could, refusing to believe that anyone was beyond hope. She was now frantically thinking of a way to tell him of her love for him. Every thing she tried failed, cut off at "I lo-". And Eragon stared at her with a pained expression.

A sigh escaped his lips and his eyes began to glaze over. In his last breath he said, in a voice filled with pain and suffering, "I love you, Arya Svit-Kona". His body gave one last shudder and he passed into the void, leaving Arya wailing like an abandoned child.

She stared down at his dead body, eyes filled with misery and loss, tears spilling off her face and on to his bear chest. "I love you Eragon," as she finally got those words out of her mouth she collapsed onto his body.

_How can fate be so cruel? Why must I be tortured so? I am given the cure but rendered unable to give it. And then after he has passed, I can freely tell his dead corpse that I love him. Curse Galbatorix for bringing about this awful war. Curse Shruikan for killing Saphira. Curse Saphira for killing Thorn. Curse Murtagh for giving up. Curse me for saying those foolish words. Curse the elven tongue! _

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**A/N** Well I hope it was worth your time if you decided to read it. Feel free to review, don't really care whether its positive or negative, anythings nice.


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